Earth’s desertification emergency: UNCCD COP16 summit begins in Riyadh next week — what can we expect to happen

Earth’s desertification emergency: UNCCD COP16 summit begins in Riyadh next week — what can we expect to happen

Sub: Env

Sec: Int conventions

Context:

• The 16th session of the Conference of Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be held from December 2-13, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This session coincides with the UNCCD’s 30th anniversary and brings a renewed focus on addressing desertification, land degradation, and droughts, which are pressing global challenges.

Key Highlights of COP16:

1. Theme: “Our Land and Our Future”
   • The theme emphasizes land restoration and resilience-building as essential for sustainable development and climate action.
2. Historic Venue:
   • Hosting COP16 in Saudi Arabia, a region acutely affected by desertification and drought, underscores the urgency of addressing these issues.
3. Largest UN Land Conference:
   • COP16 is set to be the largest UN land conference to date, with participation from 197 parties globally.
4. Dual Approach:
   • Negotiation Track: Focuses on political declarations and COP decisions crucial for global action on land degradation and drought resilience.
   • Action Agenda: Highlights voluntary commitments, thematic dialogues, and implementation plans through multi-stakeholder partnerships.
5. Key Objectives:
   • Accelerate land restoration to achieve a land-degradation-neutral world by 2030.
   • Boost resilience to droughts, dust storms, and other land-related challenges.
   • Restore soil health, promote land rights, and create sustainable livelihoods.
   • Unlock economic opportunities tied to land restoration.
6. Riyadh Action Agenda:
   • A flagship outcome, structured around thematic days, to scale up responses to land conservation, restoration, and drought resilience.

Global Context: Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought

• 3.2 billion people are affected by desertification worldwide.
• 29% increase in droughts since 2000, driven by climate change and unsustainable land use.
• Land degradation has caused economic losses worth $11 trillion.

1. Projected Impacts:
   • By 2050, over 216 million people could be displaced internally due to climate-induced land degradation and drought.
   • To meet global goals, 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land must be restored by 2030.
2. Key Drivers:
   • Erratic rainfall and over-reliance on groundwater.
   • Decline in natural groundwater recharge systems like ponds and lakes.
   • Unsustainable agricultural and land management practices.

Significance of COP16:

1. Call to Action:
   • Expected to declare a global emergency on land degradation and desertification.
   • Focus on concrete implementation of past discussions through action-oriented strategies.
2. Economic and Social Opportunities:
   • Land restoration presents opportunities for job creation, poverty alleviation, and climate resilience.
3. Global Cooperation:
   • Encourages collective action among nations, non-state actors, and private sector stakeholders to address land degradation on a war footing.